instinct, meet dirty laundry..

one of the funniest things to date from george happened within the first 24 hours he was here.. during that time, when given his own nose for a few minutes, he obsessively, compulsively, meticulously went around this whole house and kept picking up a sock here, a towel there, a shirt over yon..

that in and of itself was cute.. to this day now, though, haven't decided if i've ended up with an ocd dog or if his herding instincts were already honing themselves by birthday 2 months because..

the clothes all ended up in one very neat pile in front of..

the washing machine..

i kid you not.. the washing machine..

like i'll say at least one more time, apparently: "smart @ss georgie porgie"..

do dogs learn by example..?

answer: [heck], yes..

poppy seed, george's much smaller predecessor, has always been a star, especially when it comes to coming when being called.. george isn't doing very badly on that himself, either, EXCEPT once in a while when it comes to coming back in the house on occasion..

as a matter of fact, it happened just a little while ago.. now, while george most often goes out by himself so that his focus is totally on his charge, once in a while poppy seed accompanies us, too.. so, when george was in the lead earlier and balked about coming in just then, i called poppy who immediately took the lead with both bounding in without further hesitation.. granted not the greatest example but definitely worked..

to carry george's learning by example to the slightly more extreme, i've found him on more than one occasion mimicking me, more my legs.. because of my memory issues, i set things i want to carrry hither and yon right out in my walking path.. things being what they are, i subsequently step over the occasional pile to get where i'm going (without a second thought as to what i'm stepping over or why it's where it is in the first place)..

a couple of weeks ago, smart @ss little georgie began making this weird gesture towards me occasionally as we wandered about the house.. about the third or fourth time he did it, i put the movement together with when it was happening.. george would turn around and, as i was stepping over whatever i stepped over, he was lifting his front leg in absolutely perfect unison.. like i said, smart @ss little georgie porgie.. :SMIRK:

i've picked a [heck] of a time to go on a diet..

the translation being that i'm running out of room.. i've got a cat and a small 10-pound'ish "real" lap dog already sitting in my lap right this second..

and now 30-pound or so georgie porgie is doing his durnedest to climb up on board, too..

nope, didn't need any feeling in my legs, did i..?

georgie gets his first compliments from strangers..

came a few weeks ago on a thursday when he made his venture as a ppsdit (puppy psychiatric service dog in training).. he accompanied me unofficially on some errands i ran where he would sit alone in full view for a couple of minutes..

his first compliments came when i was making a quick purchase at the local gas station.. the ladies taking a quick smoke break outside were almost squealing over how cute he was.. one asked how old he was then came with a, "oh, he's going to be a BIG one, ain't he..?"

at our next stop, i came out to a little boy talking to him as the rest of the little boy's family was loading up into the van in the next parking space.. a couple of his family momentarily fawned, mused over georgie then, as the little boy was getting into the van, a "but where are his eyes" drifted back out the van's door behind him.. giggle..

mommy's little lap dog (?)..

is growing.. three months old and both ends are falling off either side of my lap already.. he doesn't care so why should i.. :)

dogging his charge, he is

george the wonder dog takes his interpretation of "dogging" very literally, it seems.. going through some debilitating, excruciating physical pain the last few days.. little georgie, at three months old and of an extremely physically active breed to boot, has barely left my side the whole week.. he's been mommy's little hero when everyone else was busy at life in their own way.. THAT'S what service dogs are supposed to be all about..

it continues to blow my mind that he is sooo attentive, so perfect at this right from the very first days, and he is just a little bitty (?) baby puppy.. nope, won't find me among the ones poopooing anyone saying their fully graduated service dog is nine, ten months old.. it's not a thing found only in fairy tails.. it does happen.. you just have to find THE one.. :)

"how do i know if i've found a good service dog candidate..?

how does one know if they've found a good candidate for their personal service dog, in particular a psychiatric service dog (psd)..? good question.. one that can be seen repeatedly on service animal training lists..

as often as i've personally seen it out there, i've completely left it alone as the words have never quite come to me in the past.. but.. little georgie has changed all that in a matter of the handful of weeks we have just spent together..

my final answer now..? you'll just know.. you'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt when you finally most likely accidentally stumble upon.. THE animal meant to help you mitigate a disability.. and you will absolutely burst with joy when you recognize the first undeniable signs..

i've had two candidates in the past, both whom, after my thinking very deeply, very seriously on the subject, i've come to realize are at best wonderful emotional support animals (esas) for regular attention and companionship they do provide..

ah, but now george, he's a whole 'nother can of wax.. he's got serious sa candidate wreaking from just about everything he's done to date..

at a wee two and a half months old, george the wonder dog is incredibly perceptive about many, many things.. he is attentive beyond anything i've experienced in a dog (cats are another story).. he's at my feet now wholly by his own choice and sleeps as close to me as he can possibly get each night (yes, at 2 1/2 months, he pretty much runs loose all the time in spite of having his own kennel to his and my avail)..

whatever i'm into, georgie porgie is right there in the middle, too.. admittedly a little too much occasionally, but always with a great big doggie grin..

watched him today on one of our potty jaunts out into the front yard.. unbelievably observant, reactive to the world around him.. heard something, the very tiniest, barest of a "tick, tick" of an unseen but likely woodpecker in a pine tree off to one side, and, by golly, so did george.. he twisted in its direction, cocked his head, and did his best to decipher that newest sound falling his way..

not sure exactly when he started, but he's already "booping" me with his nose.. he'd done it what i was thought was accidentally occasionally pretty much since he moved in, but he started being pretty durn consistent about two days ago.. it already has helped several times, too, as he has done it when my mind wanders blistfully off into LaLa Land.. it would be safe to say that, right from the start, i was hoping he would develop this himself as it will be documented as a task he performs.. looking very quickly like it may be the first that gets checked off the list, hooway.. :)